“Every act of communication is a miracle of translation.” This quote by novelist Ken Lui is both humorous and discomforting. When we really think about the different and often nuanced perspectives people can have about well, everything, it does seem like a miracle whenever we reach a consensus on where to eat, let alone the big-ticket issues like raising children and where to live. Communication has also changed drastically over the past few decades. Things were complicated enough when the primary means of conversing was face-to-face or over the phone, but at least we were able to read non-verbal cues and intonations in each other’s voices.  Now, we have to be very strategic about choosing the right words (or at least soften them with an emoji) to convey the right message and tone via text, email, and social media.…

The family office used to be an institution that was, in some ways, insulated from the family, making financial decisions on the clients’ behalf without their consistent direct involvement. Now that model is rapidly evolving with the innovation with household technology; and, while this may be more apparent because of the pandemic and the resulting economic changes, it was actually in play long before “social distancing” and “super-spreader” became household terms.   Most likely, covid expedited the shifts that occur organically as the younger generations come of age to manage their family’s wealth – bringing with them their own priorities, both philosophical (i.e. a commitment to conscious capitalism) and substantive (taking a more hands-on approach rather than relying on experts to do it all for them). Moreover, there is an increase in multifamily offices, which can be more affordable…